The Haunted Drum

I was intrigued by this movie, as I happened to come across it by sheer random luck. And I was instantly drawn to it, because I do like Asian movies quite a lot. And Thailand have some pretty nice horror movies available, so I had expectations to "Perng Mang: Glawng phee nang manut" (aka "The Haunted Drum").

However, my expectations were butchered quite quickly as the movie started. It was so openly clear that this was going to be a stinker given the way the movie started and how it progressed.

I managed to stick with "Perng Mang: Glawng phee nang manut" for just about 20 minutes, then I just threw the towel in the ring and gave up out of sheer boredom.

The storyline was wholly pointless and lacked any kind of appeal that could make me continue to sit through this ordeal of a movie. Everything just seemed too random and too forced throughout the 20 minutes that I managed to suffer through.

As for the acting in the movie, well I can't claim to be familiar with anyone on the cast list here, nor can I claim to single anyone out for being particularly memorable for good or worse.

I will not be returning to "Perng Mang: Glawng phee nang manut" to give it a second chance. It just seemed like a waste of time and effort to me, and it was a slap in the face as I had expected somewhat more from it.

It manages to land a very generous two out of ten stars from me, given the production value. But take heed, "Perng Mang: Glawng phee nang manut" is really not worth wasting your time, money or effort on. If you enjoy a good Thai horror movie, then there are far better choices available.

Sometimes stories manage to surprise you in a good way, I was not expecting much from this Thai movie but I'm glad I saw it in the end.

A traditional Thai band struggles to keep the magic of their music alive with the help of a spirit inhabiting a mysterious drum. The drum's spirit makes sure the band members keep their vows towards their group and that the tradition coming back from generations would be preserved. It is up to one young man, who manages to create a special bond with the spirit, to honor all those who give their lives for the music.

It is a simple story full of color and traces of beautiful music. You really start caring for the characters while they make efforts to keep themselves faithful to the band and, at the same time, wishing for better days. It is also a story of love and loyalty with transitions of violent and bloody scenes which, strangely enough, feel natural to the melodic pace of the movie.

The movie is not perfect and has several flaws and weaknesses but it is, in the end, a really nice, original and enjoyable film.